Former Shaw star Ronald “Flip” Murray is doing big things these days with the NBA’s Seattle Supersonics.  The former Division II Player of the Year is ranked 11 in the NBA in scoring (21.1), while averaging 4.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds.  In his first start as a professional, Murray scored 24 points in a 109-100 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on October 30.  He has scored 21 or more points in 10 of the14 games, including 29 points in the 89-87 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in which he hit the game winning shot with no time on the clock over Latrell Sprewell.

Flip took time out of his busy schedule to talk to Shawbears.com.

Shawbears.com: During draft day 2002, what thoughts were going through your mind once the second round had come about?

Flip: Me looking forward to getting picked up.  I mean I knew that most likely if I was going to get picked up it was going to be in the second round.  I had a lot of family and friends at my house.  I had a little get-together and we were just waiting patiently.

Shawbears.com: So when you finally got the call what thoughts went through your mind at that point?

Flip: Well I got the call before I even got picked up.  I got picked 42nd and I got the call at 38 [pick] from my agent and he told me that Milwaukee was going to pick me up at 42nd.  I knew before it was going down but a lot of people in the house didn’t know, but I told them afterwards though.  So once the call came I was just relaxed after that and glad the situation was over and I could prepare myself and get ready for the season and get ready to play.

Shawbears.com: Of course you were picked up by Milwaukee, which was heavily ladened with guards at the time.  When you went into camp, what were your thoughts about how you would fit and what your role would be with that team?

Flip: My coach [Joel Hopkins] had prepared me for that before I even got to the league.  He told me that the time was going to be real limited, coming in as a rookie, but he also told me not to let that get me down because that was the way it was going to go and to just go in there and work hard everyday.  So I did that and took practice as if it were a game.  I used to sit down on the sidelines of the game when I was a rookie and just watch and learn the game.

Shawbears.com: During that time, did you feel as though you should have received more playing time?

Flip: It wasn’t the fact that I should have been receiving more playing time, but it was situations and times when I said ‘I could be out there right now.’  I’m looking at people playing and I’m like, ‘Man if he’s out there doing that I know I can be out there…’ And if I was out there I could be productive, helping my teammates but the time wasn’t there yet.

Shawbears.com: Did you have a pretty good relationship with George Karl and the coaching staff?

Flip: Yes.  I had a good relationship with everybody.  Ron Adams, Don Nelson, Sam Mitchell.  I had all of those coaches there who were steadily working with me during practice just to make sure my game was sharp and still teaching me the game before practice and after practice so when my time came I would be able to perform.

Shawbears.com: The trade comes about February of this year.  What were your thoughts about going out to Seattle?

Flip: I looked at it as an opportunity.  A lot of people thought I would be down because of the trade, but I understood that it was a business move.  It wasn’t any need for me to get mad.  If anything I thought it was a better situation for me because it seemed like I was going to get a better chance of playing here [Seattle] than I was in Milwaukee.  I looked at it as maybe a big opportunity, a big chance for me to come out here and play.

Shawbears.com: You were in Raleigh a lot during the summer time, in the gym playing ball.  Was that your M.O., to always work on your game regardless of playing in a summer league?

Flip: When I was down in North Carolina I used to work out everyday.  I used to work out in the morning and then we went back in the gym and worked out later on that night.  That’s the biggest part of the league.  You have to work on your game during that off -season and come back so you can be sharp and ready to play.  If you don’t work on your game in the off-season you’re not going to have a lot of time to come back in training camp and try to get your game right before the season because training camp is like four or five days then you’re right into pre-season and after pre-season you’re right into the season.  I took the off-season as a chance for me to work on my game and sharpen up my game so I could be ready when I come back.

Shawbears.com: You went out to the summer league and did a tremendous job, leading the summer league in scoring.  Did you find that your game and confidence level had jumped from having played in the summer league?

Flip: My confidence level was always up.  It never went down just because I wasn’t playing.  I always knew that I could play.  It was a matter of getting an opportunity to play.  I always knew I was able to play, but I just didn’t have that chance.

Shawbears.com: Once Ray Allen was hurt and you were thrust into the starting rotation, and it wasn’t much of a surprise to the people here at Shaw University and also to the people who had seen you play that you are succeeding.  How does it feel right now getting a lot of the attention that you’ve been getting?

Flip: It’s a blessing.  It feels good for me to even have a chance to come out here and be able to play.  Even though we’ve had a loss of Ray Allen at guard, it gave me an opportunity to play.  I just take it as a blessing.  It’s a once in a lifetime chance to come out here and play and I have that chance and I take it as a blessing.

Shawbears.com: Let’s go back a little to your Shaw days.  Assuming the crowning achievement would have been winning the CIAA Tournament, what do you think may have been your best game as a Bear?

Flip: That was the best game.  When we played Johnson C. Smith in the championship that was my best game at Shaw.  That was Shaw’s first CIAA Championship so that game was the most special game.